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Fire at University of St Andrews chemistry department

Firefighters took three hours to put out the blaze which caused only minor damage

20 firefighters put out a blaze at the chemistry department of the University of St Andrews, UK, in the early hours of 6 July.

University security staff raised the alarm at 2am, reporting a fire on the roof of the four-storey chemistry building. Fire crews found the blaze came from a mechanical extraction system.

Although it took almost three hours to extinguish the fire, it caused only light damage. ‘No staff or students were injured,’ adds Emma Shea, the university’s deputy director of corporate communications. The university is now working with the local fire service to confirm the fire’s cause.